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Cynthia Baldwin AI simulator
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Cynthia Baldwin AI simulator
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Cynthia Baldwin
Cynthia Anita Ackron Baldwin (born February 8, 1945) is an American jurist who was a justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after serving sixteen years as a Pennsylvania County Court judge. Baldwin was the first African-American woman elected to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas and the second African-American woman to serve on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. She retired from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2008. After her retirement from the Court, she became a partner with Duane Morris and served as the first General Counsel for the Pennsylvania State University.
As the first general counsel for the Pennsylvania State University she gained some national attention during the Penn State child sex abuse scandal. In 2020, Baldwin was publicly reprimanded by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania for her role in the scandal.
Baldwin has been awarded the ATHENA Award, the Heinz History Center History Maker Award and the History Makers Award. She is also the recipient of several honorary doctorates. In recognition of contributions, she is featured on Marquis Who's Who Lifetime Achievers website.[citation needed]
Cynthia Baldwin received both her bachelor's degree (in English) and her master's degree (in American literature) from Penn State. After working as a teacher, English professor and assistant dean of student affairs at Penn State's Greater Allegheny Campus, she subsequently earned her juris doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law. At Duquesne she was a member of the law review and is now a board member emerita.
In 1983, Baldwin worked as the prosecuting attorney-in-charge in the Office of the Attorney General at the Bureau of Consumer Protection. She rose to the bench in 1989, when she became the first black woman elected to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Baldwin served in this office for sixteen years. Then, in 2006, she was appointed to the state Supreme Court by Governor Ed Rendell. She retired from the court in January 2008. After retiring from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, but before becoming Penn State's General Counsel, she became a partner in the international law firm of Duane Morris, LLP. There, her focus was on appellate litigation and not-for-profit issues.
Baldwin is an alumnus of Penn State, and served as the president of its alumni association from 1989 to 1991. She also served as Chair of the Penn State Board of Trustees from 2004 to 2007.
In January 2010, she was recruited to come to Penn State as the university's first general counsel, establish the Office of General Counsel and assist in recruiting a permanent general counsel. In that capacity, she became involved in the Jerry Sandusky scandal. News reports in July 2012 indicated that Baldwin, in her capacity as General Counsel, recommended that then-Penn State president Graham Spanier reject calls for an independent body overseeing the school's athletic programs. Additionally, her role was questioned in the case of the potential criminal cases against Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley. When Curley appeared before the grand jury, he told court officials that Baldwin was his attorney, but she stated that she was only representing the university on that occasion;
On April 9, 2013, Judge Barry Feudale issued a 16-page ruling rejecting Spanier's, Schultz's and Curley's request to omit Presentment 29 from the investigation. In denying the motion to throw out Baldwin's testimony, Feudale ruled that he did not have jurisdiction to quash the presentment but, if it were decided that jurisdiction did fall to him, that he did not believe Baldwin's testimony violated any attorney-client privileges. Feudale further stated in his Opinion:[w]hen attorney Baldwin appeared before this court with witness[es] Curley and Schultz, the court was aware attorney Baldwin was General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer and Vice President of PSU." Feudale also stated that senior executives of an organization, like Schultz, Curley and Spanier, are usually represented by that organization's counsel. Feudale further wrote that "Spanier, Curley and Schultz are "highly educated" men who had positions of considerable influence at PSU as well as inferentially, knowledge about important events that impact the reputation of the university; and it therefore strains credulity to infer that they were somehow deluded or misrepresented by attorney Baldwin." Feudale went on to state that he believed that the defendants' motion "lacks merit in fact and law".
Cynthia Baldwin
Cynthia Anita Ackron Baldwin (born February 8, 1945) is an American jurist who was a justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after serving sixteen years as a Pennsylvania County Court judge. Baldwin was the first African-American woman elected to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas and the second African-American woman to serve on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. She retired from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2008. After her retirement from the Court, she became a partner with Duane Morris and served as the first General Counsel for the Pennsylvania State University.
As the first general counsel for the Pennsylvania State University she gained some national attention during the Penn State child sex abuse scandal. In 2020, Baldwin was publicly reprimanded by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania for her role in the scandal.
Baldwin has been awarded the ATHENA Award, the Heinz History Center History Maker Award and the History Makers Award. She is also the recipient of several honorary doctorates. In recognition of contributions, she is featured on Marquis Who's Who Lifetime Achievers website.[citation needed]
Cynthia Baldwin received both her bachelor's degree (in English) and her master's degree (in American literature) from Penn State. After working as a teacher, English professor and assistant dean of student affairs at Penn State's Greater Allegheny Campus, she subsequently earned her juris doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law. At Duquesne she was a member of the law review and is now a board member emerita.
In 1983, Baldwin worked as the prosecuting attorney-in-charge in the Office of the Attorney General at the Bureau of Consumer Protection. She rose to the bench in 1989, when she became the first black woman elected to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Baldwin served in this office for sixteen years. Then, in 2006, she was appointed to the state Supreme Court by Governor Ed Rendell. She retired from the court in January 2008. After retiring from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, but before becoming Penn State's General Counsel, she became a partner in the international law firm of Duane Morris, LLP. There, her focus was on appellate litigation and not-for-profit issues.
Baldwin is an alumnus of Penn State, and served as the president of its alumni association from 1989 to 1991. She also served as Chair of the Penn State Board of Trustees from 2004 to 2007.
In January 2010, she was recruited to come to Penn State as the university's first general counsel, establish the Office of General Counsel and assist in recruiting a permanent general counsel. In that capacity, she became involved in the Jerry Sandusky scandal. News reports in July 2012 indicated that Baldwin, in her capacity as General Counsel, recommended that then-Penn State president Graham Spanier reject calls for an independent body overseeing the school's athletic programs. Additionally, her role was questioned in the case of the potential criminal cases against Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley. When Curley appeared before the grand jury, he told court officials that Baldwin was his attorney, but she stated that she was only representing the university on that occasion;
On April 9, 2013, Judge Barry Feudale issued a 16-page ruling rejecting Spanier's, Schultz's and Curley's request to omit Presentment 29 from the investigation. In denying the motion to throw out Baldwin's testimony, Feudale ruled that he did not have jurisdiction to quash the presentment but, if it were decided that jurisdiction did fall to him, that he did not believe Baldwin's testimony violated any attorney-client privileges. Feudale further stated in his Opinion:[w]hen attorney Baldwin appeared before this court with witness[es] Curley and Schultz, the court was aware attorney Baldwin was General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer and Vice President of PSU." Feudale also stated that senior executives of an organization, like Schultz, Curley and Spanier, are usually represented by that organization's counsel. Feudale further wrote that "Spanier, Curley and Schultz are "highly educated" men who had positions of considerable influence at PSU as well as inferentially, knowledge about important events that impact the reputation of the university; and it therefore strains credulity to infer that they were somehow deluded or misrepresented by attorney Baldwin." Feudale went on to state that he believed that the defendants' motion "lacks merit in fact and law".